The story of Paris
Paris takes its name from the Parisii, the Celtic tribe who minted gold coins on an island in the Seine before Rome arrived and renamed the place Lutetia. "Paris" stuck around the 4th century; the island, Île de la Cité, still carries Notre-Dame and the city's kilometre zero.
Capital of the Capetian kings from 987, Paris accumulated layers: medieval Sorbonne, royal Louvre, revolutionary barricades, and finally Baron Haussmann's radical 19th-century surgery, which carved the boulevards and uniform limestone façades that define the city today. The "City of Light" nickname honours both its early street lighting and its Enlightenment salons.
Curiosities: the Eiffel Tower was meant to stand for twenty years and was saved by its radio antenna; the catacombs beneath the streets hold the bones of some six million Parisians; and the Louvre's collection is so vast that seeing every work for thirty seconds would take months.
What it does best
The Louvre and Musée d'Orsay (book timed entry).
A bistro dinner in the Marais and a morning bakery run.
Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and Montmartre.
A picnic along the Seine or in the Luxembourg Gardens.
Weather, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Low °C | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 3 |
| Rain mm | 50 | 45 | 50 | 50 | 60 | 55 | 60 | 55 | 50 | 60 | 55 | 60 |
Highlighted months hit the sweet spot: comfortable highs and manageable rain. Approximate long-term normals, pack for surprises anyway.
What's on
Free music on every corner of France on the longest day of the year.
Military flypasts, fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, and firemen's balls all night.
Recurring annually; exact dates move around, check locally before planning a trip around one. More on the events calendar.
Budget
hostels, markets, free sights
3★ hotels, restaurants, museums
4–5★, tasting menus, taxis
Rough per-person estimates including lodging, food, sights, and local transport. Compare with other cities.
Day-trip wonders
A medieval abbey rising from the tide like a mirage, France's most extraordinary silhouette, ringed by racing tides and salt marshes.
~3.5h from Paris: TGV to Rennes, then direct bus. Stay past sunset if you can, the crowds leave and the mount lights up.
The palace against which all palaces are measured: the Hall of Mirrors, Marie Antoinette's hamlet, and gardens that stretch to the horizon.
40 min from central Paris on the RER C. Closed Mondays. Book timed entry; go early or late and give the gardens a full afternoon.
Pair it with
Photo: Yann Caradec from Paris, France · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · all credits
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